The End of Life as We Know It

First, let me say that I don’t read about celebrities (okay, I read their obits).  I don’t read gossip magazines or websites, even the relatively respectable ones like People.  I really don’t care who celebrities are dating or sleeping with, and I don’t care about their opinions either.  When I want titillation, I just try to hack into Mark Sanford’s email account. 

Second–and this may seem like an unrelated issue, but I’m going somewhere with this–I’ve recently been corrupted by eehard http://eehard.wordpress.com/ and am now watching the Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow shows on MSNBC.  So in a totally casual IM conversation with ee yesterday, I said, Do you think Rachel Maddow is gay?  I could practically see ee’s eyes rolling back in his head through the realignment of electrons on my computer screen–no webcam needed. After a capitalized “duh”, he said, “Rachel Maddow is as gay as Anderson Cooper!”

Oh Wait a minute.  What.  Did.  You.  Just Say.  Don’t tell me Anderson Cooper is gay.  Nooooooo! If I were in the habit of making lists like “Sexiest Men on TV”, AC would have been first on my list.

I first really paid attention to him when he was the host of a short-lived reality show on TV called The Mole.  I haven’t seen him that much on CNN, but who hasn’t seen his emotional coverage of Hurricane Katrina?  I’m more likely to see him during his occasional guest episodes on 60 Minutes.  In other words, it isn’t like I follow his every move.  Still.

A quick Google search does bring up speculation on some websites about who his boyfriend used to be and who it is now, which is no proof at all.  His bio on Wiki says that he does not discuss his personal life, and that that was a decision he made long ago.  Well that is a little more troublesome.  I’m not saying he is gay, but that’s what that usually means.  However, in his case, he’s the son of Gloria Vanderbilt, who was very, shall we say, active, and very vocal about it.  I can see where that would affect him, and cause him to make the decision that he would never be that way.  Plus, let’s face it…once you admit you’re gay, it’s like that becomes the adjective you can’t escape.  You’re no longer a news anchor, you’re a GAY news anchor.  You can’t be just an Olympic Gold Medalist, you’re a Gay Olympic Gold Medalist.  We don’t diminish the accomplishments or blame the failures of heterosexuals on their sexual orientation.  It’s just bizarre. 

So believe me, I really don’t care.  I’ve always admired Anderson Cooper and still do.  But I’m going to have to revise that Sexiest Men list.  Oh, in case you were wondering, I won’t be replacing him with Mark Sanford.